22 February 1990 Superbird B Exploded 100 seconds after liftoff due to water line blockage. This was caused by a piece of cloth found in the first stage Viking engine water cooling system.
04 June 1996 Cluster F1 Vehicle went off course and was destroyed by range safety. Reuse of flight software from Ariane 4 was the cause (faulty program logic that only took effect on Ariane 5 launch trajectory).
09 June 1984 Intelsat 5 F-9 Centaur structural failure.
26 March 1987 Fltsatcom 6 Lightning strike zapped guidance at T+51 seconds. Fault was directly attributed to a random memory upset that forced rocket to veer off course. Destroyed by range safety.
21 December 1992 Aussat B2 / Optus B2 Shortcomings in the guidance system lead to the vehicle not anticipating the true effects of hoizontal wind-shear once the mountains surrounding the launch site were cleared. This caused the nose fairing to collapse 45 seconds after launch.
25 January 1995 Apstar 2 Shortcomings in the guidance system lead to the vehicle not anticipating the true effects of hoizontal wind-shear once the mountains surrounding the launch site were cleared. This caused the nose fairing to collapse and the spacecraft to be destroyed.
27 August 1998 Galaxy 10 Due to guidance system induced oscillation all solid motor gimbal hydraulic fluid exhausted after only 71 seconds of flight. Range safety detroyed booster 75 seconds into flight at 16 km altitude.
05 May 1999 Orion 3 Engine failure at ignition for second burn of Centaur stage.
15 September 1959 Jupiter AM-23 The flight was erratic at lift-off and the missile destroyed itself after 13 seconds, just before command destruct. Failure of a silver soldered connection joint to the pressure sphere caused destruction of the missile.
22 September 1955 Jupiter A RS-11 Excessive temperature in tail section caused malfunction of control.
14 March 1956 Jupiter A RS-18 Early cut-off caused by Incorrect guidance cut-off equation pre-setting. ST-80 gyro spilled at 310 sec.
15 May 1956 Jupiter A RS-19 Missile programmed to cut-off at fuel depletion - this combined with known stability problems caused excessive miss distance.
19 July 1956 Jupiter A CC-13 ST-80 malfunction at theta switch operation - 310 sec.
30 October 1956 Jupiter A RS-25 Malfunction of yaw gyro at approximately 10 sec. Ground cut-off command given.
13 November 1956 Jupiter A RS-28 Human error in propellant loading plus programmed fuel depletion cut-off.
18 December 1956 Jupiter A RS-22 First experimental flight with Hydyne. Specific impulse exceeded predicted values. Re-entry system intentionally unstable to test Jupiter alpha control.
18 January 1957 Jupiter A CC-16 Platform roll control malfunction at 310 sec.
14 March 1957 Jupiter A RS-32 Platform interference caused control malfunction at re-entry.
26 June 1957 Jupiter A CC-31 Human error in calculation of takeoff weight.
12 July 1957 Jupiter A CC-35 Control system malfunction at re-entry.
10 September 1957 Jupiter A CC-38 ST-80 pitch program malfunction.
30 October 1957 Jupiter A CC-41 Loss of inter-compartment pressure at 68 sec. Ground cut-off command given.
11 June 1958 Jupiter A CC-48 Human error - thrust controller not connected.
20 September 1956 Jupiter C RS-27 Early cut-off due to human error in tanking .
15 May 1957 Jupiter C RS-34 Loss of instrument compartment pressure at 134 seconds causing failure of pitch gyro prior to cut-off.
05 March 1958 Explorer 2 Fourth Stage failed to ignite.
24 August 1958 Explorer 5 First Stage collided with upper stages. Second Stage ignited in wrong direction.
23 October 1958 Beacon 1 Upper stages separated prior to burnout. Structural failure after 149 sec due to vibration disturbances generated by the spinning payload.
23 September 1958 Luna failure Launcher disintegrated 93 seconds after launch due to longitudinal resonance of strap-ons.
11 October 1958 Luna Launcher disintegrated 104 seconds after launch due to longitudinal resonance of strap-ons.
04 December 1958 Luna Core engines shut off at 245 seconds into the flight. Cause was a loss of lubrication to the hydrogen peroxide pump.
18 June 1959 Luna Inertial system failed at 153 seconds after launch. Vehicle destroyed by range safety.
15 April 1960 Luna The third stage RO-5 engine either did not reach full thrust or shut down early.
19 April 1960 Luna Strap-on B reached only 75 percent of thrust at ignition. Four tenths of a second after liftoff it broke away from the core and the rocket exploded.
10 February 2000 ASTRO E First stage failure. An anomalous vibration was detected 25 seconds after launch. At 41 seconds ceramic heat shields in the first stage nozzle
broke and fell off, and thrust vector control on the nozzle was lost.
10 October 1960 Mars probe 1M s/n 1 failure. At T+300.9 sec, the launcher went out of control and the destruct command was given at T+324.2 sec - the engine of Stage 3 cut off after 13.32 s of burning.
14 October 1960 Mars probe 1M s/n 2 failure. At T+290 sec Stage 3's engine 8D715K failed to ignite because a LOX leak froze kerosene in the fuel inlet to the pump on the launch pad due to a faulty LOX valve seal.
04 February 1961 Sputnik 7 At T+531 sec, the fourth vernier chamber of Stage 3's 8D715K engine exploded because the LOX cut-off valve had not closed as scheduled and LOX flowed into the hot chamber.
25 August 1962 Sputnik 19 At T+60 min 50 sec one of the four solid motors of the escape stage's BOZ unit did not fire. The resulting asymmetric torque caused the stage to lose correct attitude and three seconds after ignition of the main engine S1.5400A1 it began to tumble.
01 September 1962 Sputnik 20 At T+ 61 min 30 sec the fuel valve did not open.; the ignition command was blocked from going to the main engine of Stage 4.
10 September 1962 Sputnik 21 At T+531 sec, the fourth vernier chamber of Stage 3's 8D715K engine exploded because the LOX cut-off valve had not closed as scheduled and LOX flowed into the hot chamber.
24 October 1962 Sputnik 22 16 seconds after ignition of Stage 4, Block L's S1.5400A1 engine exploded. A lubricant leak resulted in the jamming of a shaft in the turbopump gearbox and break up of the turbine.
04 November 1962 Sputnik 24 After T+260 sec, a malfunction of the pressurisation system of the central sustainer led to cavitation in the oxidiser pipeline and LOX pump, followd at T+292s by the fuel pump.
04 January 1963 Sputnik 25 The escape stage's BOZ unit failed to operate due to failure of a DC transformer of the power system. The stage with payload remained in Earth orbit.
03 February 1963 E-6 s/n 2 failure. After T+105 sec the gyro of Stage 4's trajectory tracking system (SKT) began to deviate from the required values of pitch and yaw of the ascent profile. At T+295s attitude control was lost after Stage 2 separation.
11 November 1963 Cosmos 21 During unpowered coast in parking orbit the escape stage Block L lost stable attitude. Engine ignition occurred in an incorrect direction.
04 June 1964 Molniya-1 s/n 2 Failure At T+104 sec the tank draining of core Block A failed due to jamming of the servo-motored throttle and break down of the motor's circuit The launcher was destroyed on impact downrange from the pad.
12 March 1965 Cosmos 60 The escape stage Block L's engine failed to ignite due to failure of a transformer in the power supply of the control system.
10 April 1965 Stage 3's engine 8D715K failed due to depressurisation of the nitrogen pipeline of the LOX tank pressurisation system of Block I.
30 June 1970 Molniya Failure in year noted; exact date unknown.
19 February 1964 3MV-1A During Stage 3 burn a LOX leak through a faulty valve seal froze fuel in the pipeline. The pipeline broke off, resulting in explosion of Stage 3.
21 March 1964 At T+290 sec the vernier chambers of Stage 3's 8D715P engine failed to reach their full thrust level - a LOX valve did not open - a rod in the oxidiser valve's pyrotechnic unit broke. At T+486.8s the main chambers of the 8D715P engine cut off prematurely.
27 March 1964 Cosmos 27 During unpowered coast in parking orbit the escape stage Block L lost stable attitude due to a loss of the the power circuit of the pneumatic valves of the attitude control and stabilisation system.
20 April 1964 At T+340 sec the launcher's control system failed and the engine of Stage 3 cut off prematurely due to loss of a section of the circuit between BOZ's storage battery and a DC transformer.
23 November 1965 Cosmos 96 At T+528 sec, during the final thrust phase of the Block I's 8D715K engine, one of the combustion chambers blew up due to a tear in the fuel pipeline. This resulted in an abnormal separation of the upper stages.
01 March 1966 Cosmos 111 The escape stage Block L lost roll control during unpowered coast in parking orbit because the axis of the course regulator of the control system jammed in the zero position. The stage's engine was not fired.
27 March 1966 Molniya-1 s/n 5 Failure The booster failed during ascent. The launcher and payload broke up on impact with the ground.
17 June 1967 Cosmos 167 Stage 4's engine 11D33 failed to ignite because the turbopump had not been cooled before ignition.
07 February 1968 E-6LS s/n 112 At T+524.6 sec Stage 3's engine 11D55 cut off prematurely because it ran out of fuel due to an excessive fuel consumption rate through the gas-generator.
22 August 1970 Cosmos 359 The escape stage Block L's engine 11D33 was late igniting and cut off early at 25 seconds after firing due to abnormal operation of the sequencer and a DC transformer failure.
31 March 1972 Cosmos 482 The escape stage Block L's engine cut off 125 seconds after ignition due to timer failure.
01 July 1976 Cosmos 837 Fourth stage failure.
01 September 1976 Cosmos 853 Fourth stage failure.
12 February 1980 Cosmos 1164 Fourth stage failure.
18 April 1980 Cosmos 1175 Fourth stage failure.
11 September 1981 Cosmos 1305 Fourth stage failure.
08 December 1982 Cosmos 1423 Fourth stage failure.
17 July 1991 Microsat 1 Partial Failure. A problem at first stage separation caused a guidance error and the payload ended up in an orbit with half the intended perigee altitude.
10 March 1967 Cosmos 146 Stage 4 failed. Partial Failure.
08 April 1967 Cosmos 154 Block D
27 September 1967 Soyuz 7K-L1 s/n 4L First stage -1 RD-253 failed, resulting at T+67 sec in deviation from flight path.
22 November 1967 Soyuz 7K-L1 s/n 5L Second stage - 1 x RD-0210 failure, shutoff of stage 4 seconds after ignition. Launcher crashed downrange.
22 April 1968 Soyuz 7K-L1 s/n 7L Second stage shut-off prematurely due to short-circuit in Zond control system.
20 January 1969 Soyuz 7K-L1 s/n 13L Second stage - 1 x RD-0210 failure at T+510 sec resulting in flight path deviation, automatic shutoff of launch vehicle.
19 February 1969 Ye-8 s/n 201 Inadvertent launch control-activated destruct of booster on pad due to apparent payload command.
27 March 1969 M-69 s/n 521 T+51s payload shroud failed. Second stage continued but third stage failed to ignite.
02 April 1969 M-69 s/n 522 First stage - 1 x RD-253 fire beginning at T+ 0.02 sec, rocket crashed near pad.
14 June 1969 Ye-8-5 s/n 402 No Block-D ignition due control system failure.
23 September 1969 Cosmos 300 Block D lost LOX due to valve defect.
22 October 1969 Cosmos 305 Block D control system failure.
28 November 1969 Soyuz 7K-L1E s/n 1 First stage malfunction.
06 February 1970 Ye-8-5 s/n 405 Failure of vehicle on launch.
10 May 1971 Cosmos 419 No Block D ignition due wrong timer setting.
15 May 1957 R-7 test flight. Failure of Block D strapon, which tore away from the core 98 seconds after liftoff. The booster crashed 400 km from the pad. A fuel leak in the pump outlet led to a fire in the engine compartment from the time of liftoff.
12 July 1957 R-7 test flight. Failure of the control system due to a short circuit of the battery. Rapid roll developed, resulting in all four strap-on boosters flying away from the core at 33 seconds in the flight.
30 January 1958 R-7 test flight. The missile exploded a few seconds after liftoff.
24 December 1958 R-7 test flight. Failure.
31 March 1959 R-7 development test flight. Failure. Failure.
20 August 1953 Redstone RS-1 Control System malfunction followed by Power Plant malfunction at approximately 80 sec. Ground cut-off command given..
05 May 1954 Redstone RS-3 Ejector burnout immediately following lift-off.
18 August 1954 Redstone RS-4 Steam generator regulator malfunction caused drop in combustion pressure.
17 October 1954 Redstone RS-6 Ground programmed yaw maneuver caused missile control loss at 80 sec causing power plant erratic behavior. Human error in selection of yaw maneuver impulse.
09 February 1955 Redstone RS-8 Separation bolt No. 3 failure. Inverter frequency shift.
20 April 1955 Redstone RS-9 Guidance system malfunction at 310 sec due to air pressure lose. ST-80 lateral guidance only.
24 May 1955 Redstone RS-10 Guidance system malfunction at 155, sec due to wiring error.
30 August 1955 Redstone RS-7 Excessive temperature in tail section caused malfunction of jet vane control.
31 July 1958 Teak / Redstone CC-5C-50 Failure of tilt program device at lift-off causing vertical night flight did not preclude subsequent system operations and successful mission accomplishment.
11 August 1958 Orange / Redstone CC-51 Guidance system malfunction at 70 seconds which did not preclude subsequent system operations and successful mission accomplishment.
17 September 1958 Redstone CC-56 Programmed maneuver at re-entry and impact in deep water. Accurate survey not possible. CC-57
06 November 1958 Redstone CC-57 Boost phase normal. Space phase malfunction.
19 January 1959 Redstone CC-1010 Human error in connecting separation system.
15 February 1959 Redstone CC-101l Improper setting of thrust controller and malfunction of tilt program at 17 sec.
12 May 1959 Redstone CC-1013 Known initial laying error of approximately 26 min.
04 August 1959 Redstone CC-2004 Pre-launch tanking error caused early cut-off by fuel depletion.
21 September 1959 Redstone CC-2003 Control system malfunction during re-entry at 380 sec.
21 March 1960 Redstone CC-2020 Control system malfunction during re-entry at 373 sec.
09 August 1960 Redstone CC-2023 Erroneously destroyed during boost by range personnel.
05 October 1960 Redstone CC-2037 Control system malfunction during re-entry at 375 sec.
21 January 1961 Redstone CC-2038 Control system malfunction during re-entry at 370 sec.
08 March 1961 Redstone CC-2040 Control system malfunction during re-entry at 374 sec.
28 June 1961 Redstone CC-2043 Air vane actuator malfunction at 262 sec.
01 August 1961 Redstone CC-1009 Human error in laying launch azimuth. Drop in inter-compartment pressure suspected.
10 September 1963 Redstone CC-2015 Control system malfunction immediately prior to impact.
21 November 1960 Mercury-MR 1 Engine cut off after 1 sec, vehicle fell back to the pad from a few centimeters height,but did not explode. This faulty ground-support circuitry had not been noted on some 60 previous Redstone firings.
28 January 1986 STS-51-L Failure of O-rings on Solid Rocket Motor due to cold launch temperature led to burn through of external tank, explosion of vehicle 73 seconds after launch.
23 May 1974 Yantar-2K failure. A problem in separation of the second and third stages of resulted in radio contact being lost with the spacecraft at T+439.6 sec. This automatically triggered the destruct charge in the Yantar OSA Descent Module, destroying the spacecraft and booster.
04 October 1976 Zenit-4MKT no. 3 Launch vehicle destroyed at T+95 seconds.
22 February 1977 Zenit-4MK Failure in year noted; exact date unknown.
10 August 1977 Zenit-4MKM Failure in year noted; exact date unknown.
16 February 1979 Zenit-2M Failure
12 October 1979 Zenit-6 Failure
28 March 1981 Yantar-2K s/n 979 Failure of launch vehicle.
15 May 1982 Zenit-6 Failure
12 June 1982 Yantar-4K1 Failure
26 September 1983 Soyuz T-10-1 Launch vehicle blew up on pad.
26 March 1986 Zenit-8 Failure
18 June 1987 Resurs-F1 14F40 Booster exploded on pad.
25 January 1957 Thor 101 Lox contamination, led to a valve failure. Thrust decayed, the booster settled back throught the thrust ring, causing an oxygen fire, followed by booster explosion.
19 April 1957 Thor 102 Console wiring error resulted in erroneous tracking indication; destroyed by range safety.
21 May 1957 Thor 103 Stuck valve resulted in tank pressure buildup followed by booster explosion.
01 August 1957 Thor 104 Broke up after 92 seconds.
03 October 1957 Thor 107 Fell back on pad, followed by explosion.
15 October 1957 Thor 108 Turbopump gearbox failure.
16 June 1959 Thor 191 Autopilot error.
14 August 1959 Thor 190 Early fuel depletion.
14 December 1959 Thor 185 Control failure.
19 March 1962 Thor 229 Destroyed at T+28 seconds.
25 July 1962 Bluegill Prime Thor exploded on liftoff.
26 October 1960 Discoverer 16 Agena-B failed to seperate from Thor.
30 March 1961 Discoverer 22 Second stage failed to obtain orbital velocity. Mechanical error.
08 June 1961 Discoverer 24 Electrical failure occurred in launch sequence guidance system. Agena-B failed to ignite.
21 July 1961 Discoverer 27 Control lost after 60 sec. Destroyed by range safety officer because of abnormal pitch.
04 August 1961 Discoverer 28 Second stage control system malfunction; Satellite guidance system failed; Agena-B produced insufficient thrust. Failed to reach orbit.
23 October 1961 Discoverer 33 Agena-B cut off too early; Satellite failed to separate; No orbit achieved.
13 January 1962 Discoverer 37 Agena-B failed. No orbit.
21 February 1962 Discoverer 37 Partial failure. Agena failed to restart to circularize orbit.
28 August 1964 Nimbus 1 Agena-B cut off too early. Partial Failure.
28 August 1985 KH-11 no. 7 Stage 1 propellant feed system failure forced premature engine shutdown.
18 April 1986 KH-9 no. 20 Solid booster exploded 16 seconds after liftoff just over pad due to deterioration of solid motor thermal insulation.
02 September 1988 USA 31 Broken Transtage pressurization feed lines prevented the geosynchronous orbit apogee burn from taking place.
14 March 1990 Intelsat 6 F-3 Second stage failed to separate due to a wiring error in the stage separation electronics, stranding the payload in low earth orbit.
02 August 1993 NOSS 19 Exploded 101 sec. after liftoff.
12 August 1998 Mercury ELINT Due to guidance system loss of heading after power interrupt, booster pitched over 40 seconds after launch, and was destroyed by range safety.
01 June 1962 Zenit-2 11F61 s/n 3 Shutdown of Block B strap-on engine stage 1.8 seconds after liftoff. The booster crashed 300 m from the pad. Pad damaged.
10 July 1963 Zenit-2 11F61 s/n 12 Shutdown of Block B strap-on engine stage 1.9 seconds after liftoff. Pad damaged.
28 November 1963 Zenit-2 11F61 s/n 14 Failure of block E upper stage. Spacecraft liquidated by APO destruct system.
13 July 1965 Zenit-2 11F61 s/n 28 Second stage guidance failure.
16 September 1966 Zenit-2 11F61 s/n 40 Launch vehicle destroyed. Failure of Block D core stage.
18 March 1980 Tselina-D Booster exploded on pad during servicing. Severe pad damage, 48 people killed. Cause found to be change in solder with tin to that with lead in H2O2 filters, causing decomposition and explosion.
28 July 1960 Korabl-Sputnik At ignition one of the combustion chambers in strapon Block B or G burned through. The strapon separated from the core at 17 seconds into the flight and the launch vehicle exploded at 28.5 seconds.
22 December 1960 Korabl-Sputnik The third stage engine RO-7 failed just after ignifition, 425 seconds in to flight.
11 December 1961 Zenit-2 11F61 s/n 1 RO-7 engine of block E upper stage cutoff prematurely. Spacecraft liquidated by self destruct system APO in 407th second of flight. Debris landed 100 km north of Vilyuisk.
12 March 2000 ICO F-1 Second stage shut down prematurely due to a valve software command mistake. The satellite fell in the South Pacific, south of Pitcairn Island.
